Car indicator



Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES FRANK J. KELLY, F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CAR INDICATOR.

Application led January T0 @ZZ whom t may concern:

, Be it known that I, FRANK J. KELLY, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, -in the countyof Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Car Indicators, of which the following is aspecification. p Y

This invention has special reference to indicators forcars in trainswhere a number of them compose the train, and indicate to the passengersthe next stop to be made."

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an indicator that willbe placed at an intermediate portion of the car, and show on theopposite sides the next station,-

so that it can be read by passengers 1n anyV part of the car.

A further object of the invention isY to.

provide a device of this character where a number of them will operatelin unison and can be controlled by the operator in any one of the cars.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter in which the reels carrying the web for vthe stations thereoncan be readily Vremoved and another web substituted for a differentroute of the train.

In the accompanying drawing showing one embodiment of my invention,Figure 1 is a front. elevation.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the line 2-2 on Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a liagram of the circuit for the ten car train Fig. 4 is avertical section enlarged at one end ofthe indicator.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line .5-5 of the Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6 on Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a cross section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4. i

Fig. 8 showsthe web i f Fig. 9 is a detail view of a spool hub.

The device comprises essentially an elongated frame 2 with the casings'3' and 4at4 c the ends.A These casings are identical and thedescription of one will explain 'ftheother. -The frame 2, Shown 1nsection '111 26, 1925. Serial No. 4,802.

the samestations printed on opposite por-v tions of its two faces asindicated in Fig. 8.

Means are provided for drawing this web Y in opposite directions asdesired through the open frame, wvhen the stations printed in sequencethroughout are exposed at the opposite windows 7 and. 8. At each end ofthe frame I provide in the casings 3 and 4 mountings for the reel 12,onwhich web or band 9 is wound, and also provide means for rotating thereel, that will draw the web between guide rollers 13, 13, winding onone spool that will draw it off from the other spool. lli/*lien onespool has become full, or the Vcar is reversed in direction the spool inthe other compartment is actuated, that will reversev the 4movement ofthe web. As shown in Fig. 4 the casing 4 has frame plates 16 and 17mounted therein, one of which carries an'electric motor 18 on brackets19. The reel 12 has its shaft 20 supported by a stopbearing 21 carriedby a cross bar 22. This is removably supported by the frame ring 17 bymeans of headed studs 23 on the ring that pass through openings 24 inthe bar 22, which openings have a narrow extension to receive' the stemof the v stud, thatv will lock the bar 22 in this position wheninserted, and turned a short distance. By thus removing the stepbearinor the reel can be withdrawn and another regl substituted. Thelower part of the casing 4 is closed by a cap 25 held by studs 26 on theframe 17 that engage the slottedv openings 27 from removably attachingthese aps.

The shaft 28l of the motor carries the gear 29 that meshes with the gear30 on bracket 19, vThe latter gear engagesl an mternal gear 31 mountedin a bearing 32 on the trame le and a shat't 33 ot the internal gearengages the spool hub 34 by lugs that enter slotted port-ions 36 in thehub. By this means when the reel 12 is moved upwardly it will causeengagement ot the reel with the internal gear. rIhe motor 18 will thusoperate the reel 12 at a reduced speed. The trames 1G and 17 areconnected by bars at suitable places to form a rigid structure andsupport the casing 4.

Suitable means are provided to connect the end of the web to the spool.The spool 19 carrying the reel web or band is inserted, and one endv iscaused to pass through the trame 2, and this end ot' the web attached tothe spool 12 in the other compartment 3 constructed identical with thecompartment 4, combining the reel and motor and other parts identicalwith that described. This motor in the compartment 8 is now operated andwill draw the web across to expose the .stations on its opposite sidesat the oppositev windows, and the motor will be actuated intermediate tobring the next station at the window, and then the motor is stopped. Atthe end of the route the wel is simply reversed by actuating the motorconnected with the unwound reel.

In Fig. 3 I show the circuit for controlling ten ot the devices asdescribed, indicated by 18 and 18 at each ot' the cars. In each car is apair ot switches 40 and 41't'or controlling these motors. It will beseen that each of the motors 18 are connected by a line 43 that passesback by wire 42 through each ot the cars, the. wire 42 extending throughall of the cais is connected with a switch 40 in each car. The line 47extends through the cars and in each connects with the switch 40 so thatclosing thel switch 40 in any car will connect the line 42 and 47. Theline 43 connects with one pole of a source ot current at 44, the otherpole ot which connects with the line 47, therefore, closing any switch40 will cause the current to flow through all ot the motors 1S. Theother motors 18 in each ot the cars are all connected by a line 48 thatis joined to the line 46 running back through all cars. The line tromthe negative terminal ot the current source connects with each ot theswitches 41 that also connect with the line 46. The line 48 alsoconnects with the positive pole at 44, so that closing the switches 41in any of the cars will send the current cars;

through all of the motors 1S in the ten This will actuate the web in oned1- rection 1n each car. The operator will Ysimply close the switch andinspect th-e'in- -dicator in the car as the web advances, andY as soonasv the next station, or the one desired appears at the window, theswitch is opened. ',"Thi's means that in all of the` cars the same'f-ad'vagnce of* the web* takest place .and they will synchronize, whichwill bring the same station to exposed position in each car. Foroperating the web in the opposite direction in each ot the ten cars theduplicate arrangement of switches 41, that will operate motors 18 in thesame manner, and advance the web in the opposite .direction in each otthe ten cars.

It will be seen that to insert the reel, either tull'oi empty, the cap25 is removed, and then the bottom holder 22 is turned and withdrawnwith the empty reel 17 that may be therein, and the full reel insertedin one compartment and the empty reel in the other compartment, theholder on one or both sides is drawn upwardly and the end ot the webthat is passed between guide rollers 13 from the reel as drawn throughthe middle casing, and its end attached to the reel in the othercompartment, and the slide replaced. In operation the guard in any carsimply closes the switch that may consist only of push button and theempty reel will rotate by its motor and draw the web through the casingat the windows. The guard simply holds the switch closed until theproper station appears and then he releases. And since the motorssynchronize the same effect will take place in all cars, as when thereel is placed in the device the same station appears in each car. Theoperator can of course cause the web to travel for a. distance of anynumber oi stations, where certain stations are omitted.

What- I claim is:

1. In a car indicator, the combination of a web having the stationsprinted on both ot' its sides, a pair of reels for the web, a casinghaving at each end a compartment containing one reel and a motor, thecasing between the compartments being ot shallow elongated torni with awindow on each ot the opposite sides arranged to each expose one of theopposite printed sides ot the web as drawn from one reel to the otheralternately in the opposite directions by one ot the said motors.

2. In a car indicator, the combination with a casing having acompartment at each end for a reel and a web connect-ed between thereels through the casing, of a motor in each compartment, the reel beingvdetachably mounted in each compartn'ient and arrange-d to connect withits motor when inserted, ya removable end member' `for each compartmenthaving a step bearing for they reel.

3. In a car indicator, the combination with a casing having acompartment at each end for a reel and a web` connected between thereels through the casing, ot a motor in each compartment', the reelbeing .detachably mounted in each compartment and arranged to connectwith its motor when inserted, an end' member vfor each compartmenthaving step' hearing fertile; reel, Said Casing hat# ing a Window frameon each of the opposite sides arranged to slide upwardly out of thecasing to expose the .web in the casing.

4. In a car indicator, the combination of a easing having a compartmentat each end, a reel in each compartment7 a web connected between reelsthrough the casing, a motor in each compartment at the top, the reelbeing detachably mounted in each compartment, a clutch arranged toconnect the reel with its motor when inserted, and a lower end inemberfor each compartmenthaving a bearing for the reel.

Signed at Ne7 York City, N. Y., on 22nd day of January, 1925.

. FRANK J. KELLY.

